Anthropic loses bid to temporarily block Pentagon blacklisting

Source: Taylor Herzlich

Taylor Herzlich is a Business Reporter at the New York Post, covering topics such as stock market movements, energy prices, corporate lawsuits, and fast-food competition. She previously contributed to The Fordham Ram, the student newspaper at Fordham University, where her name appears in staff listings. No fact-checking ratings, retractions, or credibility scores for her work appear in the sources.

Source: New York Post

The New York Post is a tabloid newspaper with a circulation of 117,000, known for sensational headlines, gossip via Page Six, and provocative opinion pieces. Wikipedia documents controversies including erroneous reporting, defamation cases from bombings, accusations of racism, and the Hunter Biden laptop story. As a News Corp-owned outlet, it prioritizes high-engagement, click-driven content over depth.

Factual Error

Article claims a "federal appeals court in Washington, DC" rejected Anthropic’s request on Wednesday (April 9, 2026); evidence shows the case originated in Northern District of California (SF), with DoD appealing a preliminary injunction to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals (which covers CA, headquartered in SF), not DC Circuit.

Misidentifying the court misleads readers on the legal venue and implies a different jurisdictional context, potentially biasing perception toward a more "establishment" DC ruling.

unverified_claim

Reports detailed "leaked missive" from CEO Dario Amodei "bashing the Trump administration," accusing Pentagon of retaliation for not giving “dictator-style praise to Trump,” claiming punishment for not donating while “OpenAI/Greg have donated a lot,” and mocking OpenAI safeguards as “80% safety theater”; states Amodei apologized for its “tone.”

Presents inflammatory, unverified personal attacks as fact, portraying Anthropic CEO as unprofessional and politically motivated, damaging credibility without evidence.

unverified_claim

Claims President Trump "blasted Anthropic staff as 'leftwing nut jobs'" and Amodei "donated to Democratic former Vice President Kamala Harris’ failed presidential campaign."

Injects unsubstantiated partisan smears (leftwing bias, Democratic funding) to frame Anthropic as politically opposed to Trump admin, justifying blacklisting.

Source Credibility

Relies heavily on unverified "leaked" memo reported by "the Information" (unlinked, no quote verification) for sensational claims; quotes govt-aligned figures like Acting AG Todd Blanche's X post ("resounding victory") without linking or confirming.

Launders potentially fabricated claims through unnamed/secondary sources, stacking pro-govt voices (Blanche, court, Hegseth images) while marginalizing Anthropic beyond spokesperson statement.

Framing

Uses dysphemistic language like "slapped" Anthropic with label "previously reserved for foreign businesses... like Chinese firm Huawei," "talks soured," "tensions heated up," "fiery 1,600-word missive"; contrasts with govt's "vital AI technology during active military conflict."

Dysphemizes Anthropic (foreign-threat equivalence) while valorizing Pentagon needs, implying company disloyalty vs. national security imperative.

Missing Context

The supply-chain risk designation applies narrowly only to Claude's use by customers in direct contracts with DoD, not prohibiting general use by contractors or other agencies.

Clarifies the blacklisting is limited-scope, not total ban, reducing perceived harm to Anthropic and altering "retaliation" narrative.

Missing Context

Anthropic refused DoD demands to remove its pre-existing contractual safeguards against using Claude for domestic surveillance of US citizens or autonomous weapons.

Provides core context for dispute origin: Anthropic's consistent AI safety policy, not sudden opposition or politics.

Factual Error

States Anthropic signed "$200 million contract with the Department of War in July" making it "sole provider of AI models on the government’s classified networks."

Inflates contract details without basis, implying exclusive prior favored status lost due to politics.